Plainslinks laughs last

So, how’s that working out for you? When the Outback Bowl announced it had matched up Auburn and Northwestern, the cries of “unfair!” from SEC quarters were predictable. But what took me off guard was the widespread accusation that bringing together a pair of evenly-matched teams with up-tempo, high-octane offenses somehow equaled “not a great game.” (Attention Mark Schlabach and Stewart Mandel: you both thought watching Pitt take on North Carolina would be more thrilling? Really?)

ESPN recorded a 7.1 rating in the Chicago designated market area (DMA) for the Outback Bowl, the network’s highest Chicago rating for a bowl game. The previous DMA record was Northwestern’s appearance in the 2000 Alamo Bowl, which attracted a 5.2 rating.

Nationally, the 2010 Outback Bowl attracted a 4.06 rating, a strong number for a 10 a.m. CT kickoff. The national rating is a 32% increase over the 2009 Outback Bowl between Iowa and South Carolina, and the bowl’s highest rating in four years.

The Wildcats’ exciting fourth quarter rally from a 14 point deficit attracted additional viewers to the broadcast, which held a 5.8 rating at the end of regulation and a 6.3 rating in overtime.

So, let’s see: enthusiastic ticket sales, a TV ratings bonanza, arguably the most exciting and memorable bowl game of the year, major buzz in one of the country’s largest metropolitan areas … Yeah, the Outback totally should have grabbed Kentucky and paired them with Wisconsin. Better kick the bums out while we still can.

‘Krootin. There’s a lot going on out there at the moment–Shon Coleman’s tearin’ it up at the Army All-American game (great news … if Auburn can keep him), Trovon Reed may take an LSU visit (fine by me, can’t argue with being sure about his decision)–but the most intriguing snippet I can offer that’s not behind a paywall is this bit from AuburnUndercover:

Whitaker and Lemonier? Both of these guys would be huge coups: Whitaker‘s a consensus four-star, All-American, Rivals top-200 hoss in the middle, one that Georgia’s desperately trying to keep in state; Lemonier, though, might be even more coveted, as a top-100 overall top-10 DE with serious interest from Florida, and offers from Alabama, LSU, Florida St., etc. And they’re both “probable” to Auburn? (Beaver expects both to sign with Auburn, FWIW.) Wicked; if there’s any knock to be made against Auburn’s recruiting class as it stands today, it’s that it doesn’t seem to have nearly as much defensive punch as offensive … but guys like Lemonier and Whitaker would go a long way towards rectifying that situation.

I believe the appropriate word here is “LOL.” I’ve never gone in much for the feverish “got 12?” debunking some Auburn fans enjoy, mostly because

a) I couldn’t care less how many they’ve got, honestly; what some half-baked computer system from the ’60s has to say about something that happened in the ’30s has zero impact on what’s happening in 2010

b) it’s not even worth debating; no rational college football fan save those in crimson (a paradox, I know) is ever going to look at a season like 1941 and say “sure, that’s legit.”

This much is certain: The 1982 media guide, the last for Bryant, lists 1934 as the only pre-Bryant national championship, adding it in a footnote of Alabama’s SEC history. In the year-by-year results in the ’82 media guide, only Bryant’s six national titles were listed.

Atcheson and Watson said it’s important to put Alabama’s claim of 12 in context because other schools have added debated championships, too.

“I tried to make Alabama football look the best it could look and just make it as great as it could possibly be,” Atcheson said. “I was a competitor myself with the other schools, and what they bragged about and boasted about, I wanted people to know the best about my school.”

Who these mysterious other schools are, of course, is never mentioned. I ought to be above typing things like “typical ‘Bama,” but still, I mean, isn’t this story absolutely typical ‘Bama? Some doof in sports information just wakes up and decides to count a bunch of retroactive titles (some awarded by entities no more authoritative than, say, Richard Billingsley) and now it’s gospel truth worthy of being defended at sword-point.

Whatever. Like I said, it’s their sandbox, they can build whatever they want in it. I should have just linked to Orson’s response and have been done with it. (More on the Tide and tonight’s game later this afternoon.)

No news is good news. As more prominent SEC players declare for the NFL draft, it’s worth noting that it’s all quiet on the Lee Ziemba front. I’m not expecting Ziemba to bolt–when your pro career is likely to be as short and brutal as the average NFL career is these days, why start it a year early for almost certainly less money than you’ll get a year later?–but as long as it’s a possibility, it’s nice to hear the sounds of silence from his corner.

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As my wife has pointed out (who is in the JC camp and, like me, wishes that poor Jason could find another team to play for and another fan base that doesn’t consist of idiots) Clinton Portis looks like Carlton Banks from “The Fresh Prince.”

Jason needs to head out to somewhere like San Francisco; a rising team and a solid coach. (Carlos Rogers too, for that matter.)

Honestly, guys like Jason are who I’d like at quarterback. Ice running through their veins. Never getting too angry, and never getting too excited. Emotion is for the defense and the wide receivers. Jacory Harris down in Miami has been getting all kinds of praise down in Miami for the same calmness stuff this year.

A couple of clicks away I found something interesting — a poll by the Washington Post on whose side the fans are with on the matter. Right now J Cam has 88%, Portis has just 3%, and 7% are neutral. (I don’t know why it doesn’t add up, lol, but it’s interesting.)